Stockwinners Market Radar for November 12, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:02 EST Aflac names Frederick Crawford new COO - Aflac announced that Frederick Crawford, who currently serves as executive vice president and CFO, will be promoted to president and chief operating officer of Aflac Incorporated, continuing to report to Aflac Incorporated Chairman and CEO Daniel Amos. Max Broden, who currently serves as senior vice president; deputy CFO and treasurer of Aflac Incorporated, will be promoted to executive vice president and CFO of Aflac Incorporated.

19:34 EST HP Enterprise's Cray to partner with Fujitsu on 'supercomputer' technology - Cray, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) company and Japan's Fujitsu (FJTSY), announced a partnership to offer high performance technologies for the Exascale Era. Under the alliance agreement, Cray is developing the first-ever commercial supercomputer powered by the Fujitsu A64FX Arm-based processor with high-memory bandwidth and supported on the Cray CS500 supercomputer architecture and programming environment. Initial customers include Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, Stony Brook University, and University of Bristol. As part of this new partnership, Cray and Fujitsu will explore engineering collaboration, co-development, and joint go-to-market to meet customer demand in the supercomputing space.

19:19 EST Chesapeake CEO says 'strongly' believes in current capital program - November 12, 2019, representatives of NGP Energy Capital Management, L.L.C., the beneficial owner of 310,812,722 shares of common stock of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, informed the company that, prior to the commencement of trading, NGP, as manager of certain investment funds, made an in kind pro rata distribution of the shares of the company to the respective partners of these investment funds. Chief Executive Officer Doug Lawler commented, "Chesapeake continues to strongly believe our current capital and operating program, coupled with the planned 30% reduction in capital expenditures in 2020, will strengthen the financial position of the company for the long term. We have substantial liquidity with no significant near-term maturities. We continue to pursue strategic levers to reduce debt, including asset sales, capital markets transactions, and focus on cost discipline. Additionally, we are de-risking our cashflows through our hedging program and remain confident in our long-term liquidity."

19:00 EST SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall to 897.09MT from 901.19MT - This is the lowest level of holdings since September 20th.

18:44 EST Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Cardlytics (CDLX) up 24.2%... 2U (TWOU) up 14.5%... Opiant Pharma (OPNT) up 13.7%... DataDog (DDOG) up 13.3%... Polarity (PTE) up 8.3%... Adaptive Biotech (ADPT) up 5.8%... ADT Inc (ADT) up 5.8%... BioDelivery Sciences (BDSI) up 5.0%... Aqua Metals (AQMS) up 4.8%... YY (YY) up 4.0%... Huya (HUYA) up 3.9%... SunRun (RUN) up 2.9%... ViewRay (VRAY) up 2.8%... DASAN Zhone Solutions (DZSI) up 2.4%... Health Insurance Innovations (HIIQ) up 2.1%... Continental Building (CBPX) up 1.5%. ALSO HIGHER: Kinsale Capital (KNSL) up 8.2% after entering S&P SmallCap 600 index. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Boxlight (BOXL) down 15.3%... ShotSpotter (SSTI) down 12.1%... Tivity Health (TVTY) down 11.9%... Gevo (GEVO) down 9.8%... Canadian Solar (CSIQ) down 9.5%... SmileDirectClub (SDC) down 7.3%... Skyworks (SWKS) down 5.2%... Varex Imaging (VREX) down 3.6%... Tilray (TLRY) down 2.2%. ALSO LOWER: NextCure (NXTC) down 8.9% after equity offering... Halozyme (HALO) down 4.9% after convertible debt offering... CyberArk Software (CYBR) down 3.0% after convertible debt offering... Intelsat (I) down 2.9% after being downgraded to Neutral at JPMorgan. Movers as of 18:15ET.

18:34 EST WSFS Financial names Rodger Levenson chairman of the board - WSFS Financial Corporation announced that effective January 1, 2020, Rodger Levenson will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors, in addition to his role as President and CEO. Mark A. Turner will step aside from his role as Executive Chairman and remain on the Board as a Director. Lead Independent Director Eleuthere I. du Pont said, "Mark assumed the role of Executive Chairman on January 1, 2019, amidst WSFS' efforts to close on the acquisition and integration of Beneficial Bank with several critical milestones ahead. With those milestones achieved and understanding Mark's previously disclosed desire to explore and take on new challenges, the Board initiated the next phase of our succession plan by unanimously selecting Rodger as our Chairman and Mark stepping into a Director role."

18:31 EST U.S. Bancorp receives Fed board of governors approval for capital distribution - U.S. Bancorp announced that it has received approval from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors for an incremental share repurchase plan to be executed in conjunction with its current share repurchase authorization. As a result, the company's board of directors has approved an authorization, effective immediately, to repurchase up to $2.5B of its outstanding common stock, which is incremental to its current authorization of up to $3B. The stock may be repurchased in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions through June 30, 2020. The acquired shares will be held as treasury shares and may be reissued for various corporate purposes.

18:22 EST PayPal CFO: We are a better company, stronger workforce with veterans - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, PayPal (PYPL) CFO John Rainey said: Facebook (FB) has been and will continue to be a valued partner with us... The average PayPal transaction is $60... China is a very important part of our business... China has tremendous potential for us long-term... The trade noise is not something that really affects us.

18:05 EST YY reports Q3 global average mobile MAUs 470.1M from 433.5M in Q2 - Q3 Average mobile MAUs of imo reached 212.0M from 211.9M in Q2 and average mobile MAUs of global short-form video services increased by 670.6% from last year to 150.4M.

18:00 EST Lazard CAO sells 40,000 class A common shares - In a regulatory filing, Lazard CAO and General Counsel Scott D. Hoffman disclosed the sale of 40,000 class A common shares of the company at a price of $38.2534 per share on November 8.

17:34 EST Xcel Brands, Hilco Global acquire intellectual property of Longaberger - Xcel Brands and Hilco Global announced the acquisition of the intellectual property of Longaberger. Xcel Brands will manage the brand. The Longaberger brand will be managed out of Xcel Brand's New York City headquarters going forward. The brand will launch on QVC with an appearance by Rachel Longaberger, on Wednesday, November 13th on 'In The Kitchen With David' show airing from 8 - 10pm ET.

17:22 EST ADP announces $5B share repurchase program - The board of directors of ADP authorized the purchase of $5B of its common stock, Carlos Rodriguez, president and CEO, announced. This authorization replaces in its entirety the previous 2015 authorization to purchase up to 25M shares of common stock. ADP had approximately 433M common shares outstanding as of October 30.

17:17 EST Seattle Genetics submits arbitration demand against Daiichi Sankyo - Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced that it has submitted an arbitration demand to the American Arbitration Association to resolve its dispute with Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. regarding the ownership of certain technology used by Daiichi Sankyo in its metastatic breast cancer drug candidate, among other product candidates. Seattle Genetics contends that the linker and other ADC technology used in these drug candidates are improvements to Seattle Genetics' pioneering ADC technology, the ownership of which was assigned to Seattle Genetics under the terms of a 2008 collaboration agreement between the two companies. Seattle Genetics said it has been abiding by the agreement's dispute resolution provisions. Last week, Daiichi Sankyo attempted to circumvent the dispute resolution process underway between the parties by filing a declaratory judgment action in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Seattle Genetics' demand is intended to place the dispute in arbitration in Seattle, Washington, where it belongs under the agreement, the company said.

17:03 EST Century Aluminum CEO Michael Bless selss 50K shares of company stock - Century Aluminum CEO Michael Bless disclosed in a filing that he had sold 50,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $8.26 per share on November 8. The total transaction value of the sale was $413,000.

16:47 EST Boeing names Conrad Chun VP of Communications for Boeing Commercial Airplanes - Boeing announced the appointment of Conrad Chun as vice president of Communications for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, effective immediately. Chun most recently served as vice president of Communications for Boeing Global Services where he was responsible for media relations, employee and executive communications, digital communications, government and customer relations, and product and services marketing communications in support of Boeing's fastest-growing business unit. Previously, Chun served as director of Communications for Global Services & Support and Boeing Military Aircraft, both of which were divisions of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

16:45 EST SmileDirectClub reports Q3 unique aligner shipments of 106,070 - SmileDirectClub reports Q3 unique aligner shipments of 106,070, compared to 72,387 last year. Reports average aligner gross sales price of $1,788 compared to $1,773 last year.

16:43 EST RingCentral issues 2.17M Class A shares to Avaya - RingCentral, Inc. (RNG) announced that it has issued 2,170,785 shares of its Class A common stock to Avaya Inc. (AVYA) pursuant to the terms of RingCentral and Avaya's previously announced strategic partnership. RingCentral has filed an automatically effective registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will cover the resale of all of the shares of Class A common stock issued to Avaya.

16:41 EST SmileDirectClub says legal expenses doubled in Q3, will continue into Q4 - SmileDirectClub said in earnings presentation slides, "Our legal expenses doubled in the third quarter of 2019, compared to the second quarter. We expect this to continue into the fourth quarter, as we maintain our proactive stance to defend our mission in support of consumer access to care." The company added, "Additionally, we continue to invest in human capital across the company in preparation for our long-term growth. This investment is focused on technology, marketing, data analytics, data science, finance, and other corporate functions."

16:38 EST Allegiant Travel reports October scheduled service traffic up 2.2% - Reports October scheduled service: Capacity up 2.2%; Load factor up 0.3 pts to 83.1%; Departures up 3.7%.

16:36 EST Amdocs announces 5-year extension to U.S. Cellular agreement - Amdocs (DOX) announced that U.S. Cellular (USM) has deployed the Amdocs digital care and commerce experience solution which was announced last year. Amdocs also announced U.S. Cellular's extension of existing services, including development, testing and managed services, for five years.

16:35 EST ION Geophysical awarded contract by Argas - ION Geophysical announced the Company was awarded a large two-year ocean bottom nodal data processing and imaging contract by ARGAS. ION will deliver high-end time and depth imaging to facilitate exploration and production of the acquired area. Full waveform inversion will be a key component in the workflow to achieve a high resolution velocity model for depth imaging and seismic inversion for reservoir characterization.

16:34 EST Kansas City Southern announces new capital allocation policy, increases dividend - Kansas City Southern announced that its board approved a new capital allocation policy. Under this new policy, the company intends to deploy available cash 40%-50% to capital projects and strategic investments; and at approximately 50%-60% to share repurchases and dividends. The board also approved an increase in the quarterly dividend on KCS's common stock from 36c to 40c per share. The board declared a common stock dividend for this increased amount payable on January 22, 2020, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 31. Also, the company announced a new $2B share repurchase program, expiring December 31, 2022. This new program replaces the $800M stock repurchase announced in 2017 under which the company purchased approximately $741M of company stock. The directors also declared a regular dividend of 25c per share on the outstanding KCS 4% Non-Cumulative Preferred stock. This dividend is payable on January 21, 2020, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 31.

16:34 EST Enservco discloses NYSE non-compliance letter - Enservco announced it has received notification from the NYSE American LLC indicating that the NYSE American has determined it has deemed it appropriate for the company to effect a reverse stock split to address the low selling price of the common stock of the company. The letter noted that the NYSE American determined that the company's common stock has been selling for a low price per share for a substantial period of time and the company's continued listing is predicated on it effecting a reverse stock split of its Common Stock or otherwise demonstrating sustained price improvement no later than May 6, 2020. The company intends to regain compliance with the listing standards of the NYSE American by undertaking a measure or measures that are for the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

16:32 EST InterDigital announces 5G dive project for 5G and Beyond Edge solutions - InterDigital announced 5G-DIVE, a joint effort with a consortium of partners in Europe and Taiwan to develop intelligent edge solutions for two 5G verticals, Industry 4.0 and Autonomous Drones. The consortium builds on the success of the H2020 EU-Taiwan Phase-I 5G-CORAL project and adds new layers of distributed data analytics and intelligence over an end-to-end 5G system deployment tailored to each vertical. The consortium comprises 12 partners, including InterDigital Europe, Ericsson AB, Telefonica, ADLINK, ASKEY Computer Corp., FarEasTone, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Institute for Information Industry, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, RISE-SICS Swedish ICT AB, National Chiao Tung University, and Telcaria Ideas. The 24-month project, which began October 1, 2019, received a total of 4.3MEURO$ in funding - 2MEURO$ from the European Commission and 2.3MEURO$ from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan. InterDigital Europe holds leadership roles in the project as the Technical Manager and Leader of the working group, tasked with the overall solution design and customization.

16:31 EST Caleres to open new Famous Footwear flagship store in NYC - Caleres the opening of a new Famous Footwear flagship store at 34th Street and Broadway in New York City on Friday, November 15. This will be the largest of the company's 32 New York metro area stores, the company said. "Our customer is at the center of everything we do - always - so we spent a long time thinking about the store design and experience that would best serve our customer in this iconic Herald Square location," said Molly Adams, president of Famous Footwear. "We've created a store that's fun to shop -- whether you want to explore and discover something new, or you're on a mission to get in and out with that perfect pair. We're looking forward to serving not only our loyal long time New York customers, but the many tourists looking for famous brands, the latest styles, and amazing customer service, all at a great value. There's nothing like Manhattan shopping, and we're thrilled to offer New York shoppers the best Famous has to offer with our new flagship store - after all, there's no better place to make our customers feel a little Famous!"

16:29 EST Health Insurance Innovations announces Erik Helding as CFO - Health Insurance Innovations announced the planned transition from Michael Hershberger as Chief Financial Officer to Erik Helding. Mr. Hershberger will continue to serve as Chief Financial Officer until November 15, 2019 and will continue to be employed with HIIQ until December 31, 2019 to assist with the transition. Mr. Helding will take over as the Chief Financial Officer on November 15, 2019. Gavin Southwell, Chief Executive Officer of HIIQ, said, "I would like thank and recognize Mike for his financial leadership and invaluable contribution in building HIIQ. His strategic leadership has contributed greatly to the success of our overall organization." "We are very excited about the opportunities ahead. Erik is an outstanding executive with significant business experience and a proven track record of successfully leading financial operations in the insurance marketplace," said Mr. Southwell. "We believe that Erik will be a catalyst for the continued development of our company well into the future. We are confident that his strategic leadership, financial acumen, and broad expertise will help us continue to scale our businesses and drive financial results." Mr. Helding was most recently the Chief Financial Officer at CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO). Prior to that, he served in various financial leadership positions at CNO. He joined CNO in 2004 as Director of Finance for Bankers Life and Colonial Penn. Prior to joining CNO, Mr. Helding held finance positions with GE Capital from 1999-2004. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance and an MBA from the University of Illinois.

16:26 EST Four Corners Property Trust acquires Buffalo Wild Wings property for $2M - Four Corners Property Trust announced the acquisition of a corporate-operated Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant property for $2M. The property is located in Wisconsin and is occupied under a triple-net lease with approximately 9 years of term remaining. The transaction was priced at a 6.5% cash cap rate, exclusive of transaction costs.

16:26 EST Victory Capital reports AUM of $146.8B as of October 31 - Victory Capital reported assets under management of $146.8B on October 31, 2019.

16:23 EST AllianceBernstein reports preliminary AUM $601B as of October 31 - Up from $592B at the end of September. The 1.5% increase was due to market appreciation, as well as total firmwide net inflows. By channel, net inflows to Retail exceeded net outflows from Institutions and Private Wealth.

16:20 EST E-Trade reports October DARTs up 9% y/y - E-Trade released its monthly activity report for October. Daily Average Revenue Trades for October were 290,578, a 9% increase from September and a 1% decrease from the year-ago period. Derivatives represented 36% of DARTs during the month

16:19 EST TechnipFMC enters into MOA to sell G1201 subsea vessel - TechnipFMC announced its intent to sell the G1201 vessel as part of its overall strategy to optimize the profile and size of its subsea fleet. Following the recent announcement of the Company's alliance agreement with a best in class partner for pipeline installation using S-lay technology, this supports the Company's intent to use collaboration agreements, where possible, to execute its differentiated iEPCI business model. The MOA is subject to certain conditions precedent to complete the transaction. The Company expects to complete the sale in December as these conditions are met, including delivery of the vessel in December 2019. The MOA also includes a Collaboration Agreement with the buyer that would provide 5 years of exclusivity for a list of named subsea projects in a specific jurisdiction and the right of first refusal for other projects not specifically named in the Collaboration Agreement. Due to this MOA, the Company also reviewed the carrying value of the G1200 vessel, the sister vessel to the G1201, of similar design, asset class and functionality. As a result of the proposed sales price of the G1201 and its current book value and the book value of the G1200, its sister vessel, the Company has recorded a non-cash asset impairment charge. The total non-cash charge was $125 million for both vessels and was recorded in the third quarter of 2019.

16:18 EST Kiniksa presents preclinical data on role of GM-CSF in GCA - Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals announced that it presented preclinical data on the role of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor, GM-CSF, in giant cell arteritis, GCA at the 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Professionals ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. "The data presented at ACR/ARP further support the mechanistic rationale of targeting GM-CSFRalpha in patients with GCA," said Sanj K. Patel, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Kiniksa. "Notably, GM-CSF has a role as an inflammatory cytokine in medium and large vessel vasculitis, and the density of inflammatory cells in inflamed vessels appears to be GM-CSF-dependent. Additionally, mavrilimumab significantly reduced arterial inflammation in a validated in vivo model of vasculitis. We continue to advance our global Phase 2 clinical trial of mavrilimumab in GCA and expect top-line data in the second half of 2020." Dr. Cornelia M. Weyand1 and Dr. Maria C. Cid2 presented preclinical data sponsored by Kiniksa, which support the mechanistic rationale for targeting granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor alpha (GM-CSFRalpha) in patients with GCA.

16:16 EST Trinity Merger, Broadmark announces approval of business combination - Trinity Merger Corp. and the Broadmark real estate lending companies announced that Trinity's stockholders and Broadmark's members have approved the proposed business combination among Trinity and Broadmark. Trinity further announced that Trinity's warrant holders approved the previously-announced amendment to Trinity's public warrants. Trinity's Board of Directors and the Broadmark Board of Directors and management companies had previously approved the business combination and recommended that their respective security holders vote in favor of all of the proposals relating to the business combination. Upon completion of the business combination, Trinity Sub Inc., will be renamed Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., and operate as an internally managed real estate investment trust specializing in short-term financing for the acquisition, renovation and development of residential and commercial properties. The business combination is expected to close later this week, and Broadmark Realty's common stock is expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the first trading day following closing under the ticker symbol "BRMK," and its public warrants on the NYSE Amex under the ticker symbol "BRMK WS."

16:14 EST SilverBow Resources CFO Van Riet resigns - SilverBow Resources announced the resignation of the Company's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, G. Gleeson Van Riet, effective November 11, 2019. Effective November 12, 2019, the Company appointed Christopher. M. Abundis as Chief Financial Officer in addition to his existing duties at SilverBow. Accordingly, Mr. Abundis will now serve as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company.

16:14 EST Continental Building to be acquired by Saint-Gobain for $37 per share in cash - Continental Building (CBPX) has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Saint-Gobain (CODYY), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of high performance materials and solutions in the building, transportation, infrastructure and industry markets, in a transaction representing an enterprise value of approximately $1.4 billion. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 34.4% over Continental Building Product's volume weighted average share price during the 60 days ended November 11, 2019. Edward Bosowski, Chairman of Continental Building Products and Mr. Bachmann, stated, "Building on our successful accomplishments since 2013, we are pleased to reach this agreement with Saint-Gobain and to provide liquidity, certainty and compelling value to our stockholders. We believe our combined business will be better positioned to enhance our product offerings, customer relationships and operating platform. With our mutual focus on dedicated service to customers and operational excellence, we believe this transaction provides an opportunity to benefit all of our stakeholders." Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will be merged with and into a newly-formed subsidiary of Saint-Gobain and each issued and outstanding share of the Company's common stock will be converted into the right to receive $37.00 per share in cash. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Company's Board of Directors. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Continental stockholders and required antitrust approvals. Citi is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is serving as legal counsel to Continental Building Products.

16:11 EST Sunrun board authorizes $50M stock repurchase program - The company announced that its board of directors has approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the company to repurchase up to $50M of its outstanding common stock from time to time over the next three years. The shares may be repurchased in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, depending upon market conditions and other factors, and in accordance with applicable regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The stock repurchase program may be terminated or amended by the Board at any time prior to the expiration date.

16:06 EST Abraxas Petroleum cancels Q3 earnings conference call, will reschedule - Abraxas Petroleum announced it is cancelling its Q3 earnings conference call originally scheduled for this afternoon.The company will issue a subsequent press release rescheduling the call for a day and time within the next calendar week.

16:01 EST Fulton Bank acquires wealth business of APS Wealth Management - Fulton Bank announced that it has purchased the wealth management business formerly conducted by APS Wealth Management in Camp Hill, PA. The transaction was completed on October 4, 2019. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. APS Wealth Management, which was established by Mike Chwastyk in 1994, had approximately $67 million in assets under management or administration at the time the sale to Fulton was completed. Fulton Bank, N.A., has approximately $11 billion in assets under management or administration through its wealth management division, Fulton Financial Advisors.

16:00 EST Continental Building shares jump after report of takeover talks - Cie de Saint-Gobain is in talks to buy Continental Building Products could announce a deal as soon as Tuesday for the U.S. drywall maker, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. Following the report, Continental shares are up 12% near the close.

15:33 EST Abraxas Petroleum cancels Q3 earnings call scheduled for this afternoon - Abraxas Petroleum announced that it is cancelling its third quarter 2019 earnings conference call originally scheduled for this afternoon at 4 pm Eastern Time. "We will issue a subsequent press release rescheduling the call for a day and time within the next calendar week," the company stated in its press release regarding the call cancellation.

14:52 EST Azul receives first Airbus A321neo in Brazil - Azul (AZUL) received the first Airbus (EADSY) A321neo ever delivered in Brazil. Configured in a 214 seat layout and powered by CFM International's Leap-1A engines, the aircraft is the first of 13 ordered. The airline has chosen the A321neo to fly its high-density domestic routes and will provide customers with an industry leading inflight experience, including larger overhead bins, mood-lighting and individual touch-screen inflight entertainment. "The A321neo is an important milestone for Azul once it will allow the company to simultaneously grow its route network and become more efficient. Customers will enjoy the extra legroom of our Espaco Azul product as well as free unlimited snacks and drinks. The new Airbus will also feature individual seat-back touch screen entertainment with stored content and soon to come streaming live-TV and Wifi", says John Rodgerson, CEO of Azul.

12:44 EST Clarivate Analytics trading halted, news pending

12:10 EST Facebook announces roll-out of Facebook Pay - Facebook's (FB) Deborah Liu, VP, Marketplace & Commerce, announced the company is introducing Facebook Pay, which she said "will provide people with a convenient, secure and consistent payment experience across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp." Liu added: "People already use payments across our apps to shop, donate to causes and send money to each other. Facebook Pay will make these transactions easier while continuing to ensure your payment information is secure and protected." Facebook Pay will begin rolling out on Facebook and Messenger this week in the U.S. for fundraisers, in-game purchases, event tickets, person-to-person payments on Messenger and purchases from select Pages and businesses on Facebook Marketplace. Over time, Facebook plans to bring Facebook Pay to more people and places, including for use across Instagram and WhatsApp, according to the post. Facebook Pay supports most major credit and debit cards as well as PayPal (PYPL). "Payments are processed in partnership with companies like PayPal, Stripe and others around the world. Facebook Pay is built on existing financial infrastructure and partnerships, and is separate from the Calibra wallet which will run on the Libra network," Liu's post noted. Reference Link

12:02 EST Amazon launches storefront and publishing platform for K-12 educational material - Amazon has launched a storefront and publishing platform for people to buy and sell K-12 educational materials .Amazon said in a statement: "Amazon Ignite connects educational content creators with Amazon customers. Sell your original teaching resources-like printables, lesson plans, and classroom games-as digital downloads. It's free to join." Amazon added, "Earn a 70% royalty on all sales. For products under $2.99, we'll deduct a $0.30 transaction fee per resource sold. No hidden payment fees." Reference Link

12:00 EST GTT Communications falls -15.1% - GTT Communications is down -15.1%, or -$1.27 to $7.18.

12:00 EST DXC Technology rises 15.2% - DXC Technology is up 15.2%, or $4.47 to $33.87.

12:00 EST Verso rises 22.3% - Verso is up 22.3%, or $3.31 to $18.13.

11:47 EST Ebix says in final stages of picking investment bank for payments business IPO - Says "diligently moving forward" on IPO of payments business. Says at final stages of selecting an international investment banker and the fourth investment bank to join the company's investment banking team. Says already has three of India's leading investment banks, ICICI, Axis, and otherwise, who are actively working with the company on the IPO work. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

11:25 EST Churchill Downs announces launch of retail sportsbook in Indiana - Churchill Downs announced that it launched its BetAmerica retail sportsbook at Rising Star Casino Resort in Rising Sun, Indiana. BetAmerica expects to also offer online sports wagering across the state of Indiana subject to approval from the Indiana Gaming Commission. A separate agreement with Rising Star Casino Resort's owner, Full House Resorts, will also allow BetAmerica to offer a retail sportsbook at the Bronco Billy's Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colorado, and online sports wagering throughout the state of Colorado subject to regulatory approvals, the company stated.

11:17 EST Gunmakers slide as Supreme Court lets Sandy Hook families sue - The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to block a lawsuit against Remington Arms Co. by family members of those killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, according to multiple media reports. The top court rejected Remington's appeal Tuesday without comment or published dissent, leaving intact a Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that provided the families a path to circumvent a 2005 federal law enacted to shield the gun industry from lawsuits. Publicly traded gunmaker stocks are moving lower following the ruling against privately-held Remington. Public gunmakers and retailers include American Outdoor Brands (AOBC), Vista Outdoor (VSTO) and Sturm, Ruger (RGR).

11:05 EST Boeing reports -95 net commercial plane orders through Oct. 31, 2019 - In an update posted to its website, Boeing reported -95 2019 net orders through October 31, 2019, including -202 net orders for the 737. For October, Boeing reports orders for 10 jets, including one 737, two 777s, and seven 787s. Total backlog is 5,457 planes, including 4,387 737 models, according to data posted to Boeing's corporate website. Reference Link

11:02 EST Lakeland Financial appoints Rick Donovan as General Counsel - Lake City Bank announced that Rick Donovan has joined the bank as Senior Vice President, General Counsel. Donovan will manage the bank's risk management groups and join the bank's Management Committee. He assumes the general counsel role from Kristin Pruitt, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, as a result of the recent expansion of her management responsibilities. Donovan joins the bank from Rothberg Logan Warsco LLP in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was a partner practicing in the areas of commercial banking, corporate and real estate law.

10:31 EST Disney says Disney+ 'exceeded our high expectations,' working on glitches - Disney+ Help tweeted, "The consumer demand for Disney+ has exceeded our high expectations. We are working to quickly resolve the current user issue. We appreciate your patience."

10:05 EST Taronis Technologies announces compliance with Nasdaq listing criteria - Taronis Technologies announced that it has evidenced full compliance with all criteria for continued listing on Nasdaq. By letter dated November 8, 2019, Nasdaq informed the Company that it had evidenced compliance with the minimum bid price requirement and otherwise satisfies all requirements for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Accordingly, the Nasdaq listing matter has been closed.

09:59 EST Applied DNA Sciences jumps after reporting success in DNA tagging of leather - Applied DNA Sciences announced earlier what it called the successful DNA tagging of leather at "one of the world's largest tanneries based in Asia." The work follows a successful research project undertaken within the UK that demonstrated SigNature DNA could be successfully used to trace the hide of an animal from a farm to the product in a store, the company stated. "The results are validation of previous work we carried out and we now look forward to the opportunity to apply our technology for the leather industry to help provide much needed traceability for the various stakeholders. We are pleased by the interest shown across the leather industry in offering to leather supply chains," said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO, Applied DNA. In early trading, Applied DNA shares have risen $3.85, or 87.5%, to $8.25.

09:47 EST GTT Communications falls -8.7% - GTT Communications is down -8.7%, or -74c to $7.72.

09:47 EST Tidewater falls -10.7% - Tidewater is down -10.7%, or -$1.84 to $15.30.

09:47 EST Sea Limited rises 15.9% - Sea Limited is up 15.9%, or $4.92 to $35.92.

09:44 EST Unilever unit to supply plant-based 'Rebel Whopper' to Burger King in Europe - Unilever's (UN; UL) The Vegetarian Butcher unit announces that it has partnered with the Burger King (QSR) brand to launch the plant-based Rebel Whopper. In today's initial phase, the Rebel Whopper powered by The Vegetarian Butcher, is being launched simultaneously in over 2,500 Burger King restaurants across 25 countries in Europe, the companies stated. Financial terms of the deal are not disclosed. The Fly notes that in the U.S. Restaurant Brands' (QSR) Burger King brand offers an "Impossible Whopper" in partnership with rival plant-based meat maker Impossible. Beyond Meat (BYND), which also offers plant-based meat alternatives, is down about 3% in early trading. Reference Link

09:26 EST Energizer appoints Mark LaVigne as President and COO - Energizer Holdings last night announced the promotion of three members, effective immediately, and a retirement within the company's leadership team. Mark LaVigne, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed President and Chief Operating Officer; Kelly Boss, Vice President and General Counsel, intends to retire from the company and will serve as Executive Counsel until next summer as part of a planned transition; Hannah Kim, Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary has been appointed Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary reporting to the Chief Executive Officer; and John Drabik, Vice President, Corporate Controller and Treasurer, has been appointed to the role of Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller and also designated as our Chief Accounting Officer.

09:26 EST Internet Gold expects closing of Searchlight transaction on December 2 - Further to the Company's previous announcements with respect of the 'Searchlight Transaction', the Company announced that the anticipated schedule for closing of the Searchlight Transaction is December 2, 2019. There is no guarantee that the Searchlight Transaction will be completed, and if completed, the timing of closing of the transaction. As previously announced, if the Searchlight Transaction is completed, the Company will not be able to fully pay its debts, and the Company intends to initiate a creditors' arrangement which would be submitted to the applicable Israeli court. The Company anticipates that pursuant to such arrangement the existing shares of the Company will be nullified and that the creditors of the Company will receive, inter alia, 100% of the shares of the Company.

09:22 EST Nokia chosen by California Governor's Office of Emergency Services for upgrades - Nokia has been selected by Cal OES Public Safety Communications office to upgrade CAPSNET, which is operated by Cal OES Public Safety Communications and supports the communications needs of many key state and local government public safety agencies. The network upgrade is part of a solution to transform the current time division multiplexing technology system to support more advanced Internet Protocol-based networks. This will enable Cal OES to continue providing highly reliable and secure connectivity for first responders, while enhancing the network to provide higher capacity and improved availability wherever needed, both now and into the future.

09:18 EST NewLink Genetics announces EC conditional marketing approval for V920 - NewLink Genetics Corporation (NLNK) announced that Monday, November 11th, the European Commission granted a conditional marketing authorization to ERVEBO, investigational V920 Ebola Zaire vaccine, as confirmed by partner, Merck (MRK), known as MSD outside the US and Canada. With this approval, the EC will grant a centralized marketing authorization for the vaccine with unified labeling that is valid in 31 European countries. The granting of this approval by the EC follows the September 17th announcement by the FDA that it has accepted the Biologics License Application and granted priority review for the investigational Ebola vaccine. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act or target FDA action date, is set for March 14, 2020. As NewLink has previously stated, the FDA's approval of this Ebola vaccine would trigger the issuance of a priority review voucher owned by Merck and in which NewLink Genetics has a substantial economic interest. Thereafter, NewLink would have the right to monetize its share of interest in the voucher.

09:14 EST Drive Shack says Hana Khouri to succeed Ken May as CEO - On Monday, Drive Shack announced the retirement of Ken May, who served as CEO. Hana Khouri, the company's current President, will be assuming the role of CEO and President.

09:12 EST BNP Paribas opens new offices in Montreal - BNP Paribas announced that following several years of rapid growth at its Montreal operations, it will be moving its Canadian main office from McGill College Avenue to 2001 Robert Bourassa Boulevard this fall. Several key features of the new Montreal office include: An Innovation Lab supporting new ways of working, designed in part through a contest with students from Universite de Montreal; Murals of seven local artists painted on the various floors reflecting the creativity of the Montreal art community, organized with the help of MU, an arts-based charitable organization; A focus on employee health and well-being with a WELL Certified working environment designed in collaboration with Provencher Roy, a leader in urban architecture in Canada.

09:10 EST Philips launches IntelliSpace Cognition product in the U.S. - Royal Philips announced the U.S. debut of its new cognitive assessment platform IntelliSpace Cognition. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and Philips' cloud-based HealthSuite Digital Platform, IntelliSpace Cognition provides healthcare professionals with a powerful aid for assessing cognitive impairment. IntelliSpace Cognition automates and enhances well-established neuropsychological tests, offering new insights for clinicians treating patients with debilitating neurological conditions. It provides direct access to detailed information about a patient's cognition while also providing quantitative longitudinal data to aid in assessing disease progression and treatment efficacy.

09:09 EST Nasdaq Futures sells commodities business to EEX Group - EEX Group and U.S. based Nasdaq (NDAQ) Futures, or NFX, have reached an agreement to sell NFX's futures and options exchange business to EEX Group. EEX Group will acquire the core assets of NFX, including the portfolio of open interest in NFX contracts. The transaction involves the transfer of existing open positions in U.S. Power, U.S. Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Ferrous Metals and Dry Bulk Freight futures and options contracts to EEX Group's clearing houses Nodal Clear and European Commodity Clearing, or ECC. The parties will now begin the necessary technical preparations to facilitate the open interest transfer to ensure that position holders experience a seamless transition. Both EEX Group and NFX are committed to ensuring that all NFX clients continue to receive customer service during and following the transfer period. Nodal and Nodal Clear plan to complete the integration of U.S. Power contracts by December. EEX and ECC aim to complete the transfer of all open positions in Dry Bulk Freight by February 2020. U.S. Natural Gas, Crude Oil and Ferrous Metals contracts will transfer to Nodal in spring 2020.

09:08 EST Five9 to acquire Whendu iPaaS platform - Five9 announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire Whendu's iPaaS platform, which is designed for the specific needs of the contact center. Whendu helps accelerate the contact center migration to the cloud by making it easier for enterprises to integrate with their existing environment and carry forward customized business processes. Five9 expects the transaction to close this week.

09:07 EST Five9 to acquire Whendu iPaaS platform - Five9 announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire Whendu's iPaaS platform, which is designed for the specific needs of the contact center. Whendu helps accelerate the contact center migration to the cloud by making it easier for enterprises to integrate with their existing environment and carry forward customized business processes. Five9 expects the transaction to close this week.

09:02 EST CME Group announces January 13, 2020 launch for Bitcoin options - CME Group announced options on its Bitcoin futures contracts will be available for trading starting January 13, 2020, pending regulatory review.

09:02 EST Skyhawk Therapeutics enters into second collaboration with affiliate of Celgene - Skyhawk Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a second global strategic collaboration with an affiliate of Celgene. This new agreement follows the June 2018 collaboration between the two companies and focuses on targets relevant to the field of autoimmune disorders, oncology, and immuno-oncology, providing further validation of Skyhawk's proprietary SkySTARTM technology platform. The scope of the collaboration allows the parties to systematically interrogate a range of targets that have been clinically validated or are highly associated with the genetic basis of disease but have been considered undruggable using conventional small molecule therapies. Under the collaboration agreement, Skyhawk grants Celgene options to exclusively license worldwide intellectual property rights to candidates discovered and developed under the collaboration that are directed to program targets.

08:55 EST GTT expands scope of asset divestiture exploratory process - GTT Communications said in this morning's earnings release, "GTT has expanded the scope of its non-strategic and non-core asset divestiture exploratory process to include the Company's highly differentiated pan-European fiber assets, subsea transatlantic fiber and data center infrastructure, which the Company acquired as part of the Interoute and Hibernia acquisitions." The stock in premarket trading is down 17%, or $1.46, to $7.00.

08:52 EST Lilly, Boehringer start sixth phase 3 study in Jardiance heart failure program - Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly announced the initiation of EMPULSE, the sixth phase 3 study in the Jardiance heart failure program. The study will assess whether in-hospital administration of Jardiance 10 mg daily improves heart failure outcomes when initiated in people hospitalized for any type of acute heart failure event once they have been stabilized. The study will include participants both with and without type 2 diabetes.

08:50 EST Ageagle's HempOverview solution selected by FDACS for registration process - AgEagle Aerial Systems announced that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has chosen AgEagle's HempOverview software-as-a-solution platform to manage the online application submission and registration process for hemp growers and their farms and hemp fields for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 planting seasons.

08:48 EST Eiger announces presentation of results from Phase 2 LIFT Lambda study - Eiger BioPharmaceuticals announced a late-breaker oral presentation at AASLD 2019 of interim end of treatment results of the Phase 2 LIFT Lambda combination study in HDV-infected patients. The LIFT study is being conducted within the National Institutes of Health at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Lambda is a first-in-class type III interferon in clinical development for HDV, the most severe form of human viral hepatitis. There is no approved treatment for HDV. LIFT is a Phase 2a open-label study of 26 adult patients with chronic HDV treated with Lambda 180 mcg once weekly in combination with Lonafarnib 50 mg twice daily boosted with ritonavir 100 mg twice daily for 24 weeks.

08:46 EST Durect announces results from Phase 2a clinical trial of DUR-928 - DURECT announced the results from its Phase 2a clinical trial of DUR-928 in alcoholic hepatitis, or AH, presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at The Liver Meeting. The study results were also selected for inclusion in the 'Best of The Liver Meeting' summary slide presentation in the alcohol-related liver disease category. Today at Noon Eastern Time, DURECT will host a Key Opinion Leader, or KOL, webcast featuring a presentation of the results delivered by one of the principal investigators of the trial, Tarek Hassanein, M.D. Dr. Hassanein will be available for a question and answer session following the presentation. All patients treated with DUR-928 in this trial survived the 28-day follow-up period and there were no drug-related serious adverse events. Patients treated with DUR-928 had a statistically significant reduction from baseline in bilirubin at day 7 and 28 and MELD at day 28. Lille scores were also statistically significantly lower than those from a well-matched group of patients in a contemporary ongoing trial as well as several published historical controls. 74% of all DUR-928 treated patients and 67% of those with severe AH were discharged from the hospital within four days of receiving a single dose of DUR-928.

08:41 EST LifeVantage opens for business in New Zealand - LifeVantage Corporation has formally commenced business in New Zealand. Select LifeVantage products have been offered in New Zealand on a not-for-resale basis for approximately 18 months as part of the company's Global Customer Program, helping pave the way for the company to now open for distributor enrollments as well. New Zealand will initially offer Protandim Nrf1 Synergizer, Protandim Nrf2 Synergizer, ProBio probiotic supplement, TrueScience Skin Care System, and TrueScience Hair Care System.

08:38 EST Youngevity's CLR Roasters expands partnership with H&H Coffee Group Export - CLR Roasters, a wholly owned subsidiary of Youngevity International, announced an expansion of their operating partnership with H&H Coffee Group Export as the parties have entered into an exclusive arrangement to cultivate hemp grow and the extraction of hemp derived cannabinoids into hemp-based crude oil in the Chaguitillo, Sebaco - Matagalpa region of Nicaragua for sales and distribution of hemp derived ingredients abroad. The program will leverage the intellectual property of YGYI's Khrysos Industries, which manufactures Hyper Super Critical CO2 extraction systems, with CLR Roasters and H&H Coffee Export Group's expertise in agriculture and the creation of field to finish products. This project has been approved by the Nicaraguan Investment Authority, and is being fully supported by all agricultural ministries, as well as national and regional regulatory bodies. The designated hemp grow areas will have oversight from the National Compliance Bureau of Nicaragua to ensure that the hemp crop complies with all government approved specifications. The new partnership will consist of YGYI making the necessary investment in providing the initial purchase and installation of the required CO2 Hyper Super Critical Extraction Systems while H&H Coffee Group Export will contribute the initial land for the program. As the project scales, H&H Coffee Group Export will contribute up to 1,000 acres of fertile lands with proper water rights in Chaguitillo, Sebaco - Matagalpa for the Hemp grow and harvest and the partnership will finance equipment needs as necessary.

08:37 EST DIRTT Environmental targets revenue of $450M-$550M by end of 2023 - DIRTT Environmental Solutions is holding its Analyst Day today in New York City, where management will announce its strategic plan and financial targets for the end of 2023. The company said, "Highlights of the strategic plan include: Enhancing the areas of software and product innovation, both of which underpin DIRTT's core customer value proposition; Operational improvements, including the implementation of a formalized lean manufacturing approach within our factories to further our metrics-driven continuous improvement culture, optimize our cost structure and ensure the highest standard of quality for our clients; Establishing a robust commercial function that integrates marketing and sales to enable stronger sales execution Specifically, the commercial strategy centers on the following themes: People, roles and organizational structure; Strategic marketing, including lead generation and tracked conversion rates; Sales excellence, including customer segmentation and sales execution; and A redefined and strengthened distribution partner experience. DIRTT's strategic plan targets revenue levels between $450 million and $550 million at Adjusted EBITDA Margins between 18% and 22% by the end of 2023."

08:36 EST Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly initiate first ever study to assess Jardiance - Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company announced the initiation of EMPULSE, the sixth phase III study in the Jardiance heart failure program. The study will assess whether in-hospital administration of Jardiance 10 mg daily improves heart failure outcomes when initiated in people hospitalized for any type of acute heart failure event once they have been stabilized. The study will include participants both with and without type 2 diabetes.

08:35 EST Bionano Genomics announces takeaways from presentations on Saphyr system - Bionano Genomics announced key takeaways from presentations by Saphyr users given between November 6-9 in Baltimore at the annual meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology and the associated corporate workshop. Moffitt Cancer Center. A team of clinicians and scientists from the Moffitt Cancer Center and Bionano Genomics, led by Dr. Anthony Magliocco, M.D, of Protean BioDiagnostics, presented a study on HPV-positive ovarian tumors and two pairs of primary ovarian tumors with matched ascites. Ascites is the abnormal build-up of fluid in the abdomen, which can be caused by an inflammatory reaction to metastatic cancer cells. Bionano whole genome imaging demonstrated in pairs of primary ovarian tumors with matched ascites that primary tumors contained many more rearrangements and had an unstable copy number profile compared to the ascites, with very few shared aberrations. This observed difference could have important implications for treatment of ovarian cancer, since ascetic fluid is considered the primary route of metastasis and origin of recurrent disease, and it is possible that the less complex genome of ascetic fluid requires a different therapeutic approach than the complex primary tumor genome. MD Anderson Cancer Center. Professor Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, M.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, presented a validation study on the use of Saphyr for the clinical assessment of patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes, or MDS. MDS is a precursor for Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and the number and type of structural variation in the cancer genome has extreme predictive value on the median survival time, which varies from five years for genomes with a single reported variant to just over five months for those with more than three abnormalities. In a pilot study on 10 patient samples, Saphyr identified 100% of all aberrations detected by karyotype and microarray analysis. Dr. Kanagal-Shamanna stated that this exact concordance between Bionano genome imaging and clinical diagnostic assays, and the high throughput of the Saphyr instrument, make it a candidate single-platform assay for clinical diagnostics. Dr. Kanagal-Shamanna discussed the planned expansion of the study to 100 MDS cases with the goal of identifying new genomic aberrations that only Saphyr can detect and that alter the risk or affect management of the disease. Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands. A team led by Professor Alexander Hoischen, Ph.D, from Radboud University Medical Center, presented an update on their ongoing validation of Saphyr as a tool to replace FISH, karyotyping and CNV-microarrays for the clinical analysis of leukemias and genetic disease. Of the samples analyzed so far, Saphyr identified all clinically relevant, previously reported aberrations observed using the three other technologies. They concluded that Bionano genome imaging is capable of replacing most traditional cytogenetic tests.

08:31 EST ADP increases dividend 15% to $3.64 annual - The board of directors of Automatic Data Processing approved a 12c increase in the quarterly cash dividend to an annual rate of $3.64 per share. The increased cash dividend marks the 45th consecutive year in which ADP, a leading global technology company providing human capital management (HCM) solutions, has raised its quarterly dividend. "The 15% increase in our quarterly dividend is the latest example of ADP's long-standing commitment to shareholder-friendly actions and is a strong signal of the board's confidence in ADP's future," said the company.

08:30 EST IMAC agrees to sell BioFirma subsidiary for proceeds of $320,800 - IMAC Holdings announced it has entered into an agreement for the sale of its BioFirma subsidiary to Self Care Regeneration LLC for proceeds to the Company of $320,800, plus reimbursement of certain expenses at closing. In the deal, IMAC will continue to receive a supply of BioFirma's NeoCyte regenerative medicine products for its rehabilitation clinics at a deeply discounted price. In addition, Ian White, Ph.D., will change his role from chief scientific officer at IMAC to an external scientific advisor. The Company expects the transaction to close within 60 days.

08:27 EST Advisor Group to acquire Ladenburg Thalmann; enterprise value of deal is $1.3B - Advisor Group and Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services announced last night that both companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement to join the two companies. Under the terms of the transaction, Ladenburg has agreed to be acquired by Advisor Group through a cash merger, in which each outstanding share of Ladenburg's common stock will be converted into a cash payment of $3.50 per share. The total enterprise value of the transaction is approximately $1.3B, taking into account Ladenburg's common stock, preferred stock and outstanding debt. The definitive merger agreement and the transactions contemplated were unanimously approved by Ladenburg's Board of Directors. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of Ladenburg's shareholders, and receipt of required regulatory clearances and approvals, is expected to close in the first half of 2020. Following the completion of this transaction, the expanded Advisor Group organization will continue to be led by its current CEO and President, Jamie Price. When the transaction is completed, Advisor Group's leadership team will include senior executives from both Advisor Group and Ladenburg. Ladenburg's firms will not be merged with Advisor Group's firms, reflecting both companies' commitment to a multi-brand network model. Ladenburg Thalmann Chairman, President and CEO Richard Lampen said, "This is a transaction that maximizes value for our shareholders, while positioning our financial advisors for continued growth and success. We have always been impressed with Advisor Group's platform, offerings and leadership. Advisor Group's CEO, Jamie Price, and his management team offer a mature shared services model and a demonstrated ability to innovate and invest in ways that help advisors grow. We are confident this transaction will help our advisors accelerate the growth of their businesses, while enabling them to benefit from the highly personalized service experience they have always enjoyed, under a very similar multi-custodial, multi-clearing and multi-brand structure."

08:21 EST Aptinyx initiates two phase 2 studies of NYX-2925 - Aptinyx announced the initiation of two Phase 2 studies evaluating NYX-2925 for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy and for the treatment of fibromyalgia. NYX-2925 is a novel NMDA receptor modulator that has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company expects to report data from the painful DPN study in late 2020 or early 2021, and from the fibromyalgia study in the first half of 2021.

08:20 EST Gilat Satellite awarded $10M for five-year project for 3G/4G backhaul services - Gilat Satellite Networks announced that Gilat was awarded a $10M five-year project for 3G/4G backhaul services in Peru. The infrastructure and network that Gilat recently started to operate is the basis for mobile coverage to be provided by a large mobile infrastructure operator for the rural areas. Gilat expects that the current contract will significantly expand over time to additional multiple millions of dollars in this region, as well as in other regions operated by Gilat. Leveraging the infrastructure and network deployed by Gilat will allow the mobile infrastructure operator to reach their goal of bringing 4G mobile internet to rural locations and thousands of Peruvians who are in remote areas. The Gilat solution allows to overcome the complex geography that limits the arrival of telecommunications and will support an important positive impact on local economies by enabling access to information and digital platforms.

08:17 EST James E Wagner Cultivation enters into cannabis vape program agreement - James E. Wagner Cultivation Corporation entered into a supply and manufacturing agreement with CannaCure Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Heritage Cannabis Holdings Corp., for the formulation and filling of vape cartridges for Canadian recreational and medical cannabis markets. The Agreement advances JWC's commitment to become a leader in the production of premium, single origin cannabis extract products in Canada. Under the Agreement, JWC will provide CannaCure with supporting materials and a minimum of 100kg per month of aeroponically-grown cannabis biomass. CannaCure shall process the delivered biomass into products using their 'direct to vape' process, which maintains the natural properties of the cannabis strain, and assures no harmful additives are blended into the oil to be vaped. All formulation, preparation and packaging procedures will be carried out in compliance with applicable regulations. The Agreement with CannaCure has an initial term of twelve months commencing on the effective date of October 31st, 2019. In preparation of entering into the market to supply vape cartridges containing its quality products, JWC has sourced and is using a manufacturer of quality vape cartridges certified to be free of any heavy metal content. The products introduced by JWC will be of premium quality. Pursuant to the Agreement, commercial activities have commenced between both parties. Upon receipt of the initial shipment, CannaCure will perform its obligations under the Agreement through CannaCure's modern extraction facility in Fort Erie, Ontario. JWC remains on track to introduce its derivative line of cannabis extract products in the first calendar quarter of 2020.

08:17 EST Hologic announces FDA approval of 3DQuorum - Hologic announced that the FDA has approved 3DQuorum Imaging Technology, powered by Genius AI. 3DQuorum technology works in tandem with Hologic's Clarity HD high resolution imaging technology to reduce tomosynthesis image volume for radiologists by 66 percent. 3DQuorum technology is available as part of the new Hologic Clarity HD Plus technology package for use with existing and future Hologic 3D mammography systems.

08:13 EST scPharmaceuticals expects 2019 cash, cash equivalents $65M-$70M - Based on its current operating plan, scPharmaceuticals expects year end 2019 cash and cash equivalents and investment securities to be approximately $65-$70 million.

08:11 EST Verdeca receives approval of HB4 drought and herbicide tolerant soybeans - Verdeca, a joint venture between Arcadia Biosciences (RKDA) and Bioceres Crop Solutions (BIOX), announced today it has successfully completed the regulatory review process and received approval for its HB4 drought and herbicide tolerant soybeans from the Paraguayan Minister of Agriculture, through the National Commission for Agricultural and Forestry Biosafety. The HB4 stack is Verdeca's newest product release from its pipeline of traits developed to benefit soybean producers through quality improvement, stress mitigation and management practices. With this approval, the HB4 trait now has regulatory approval in more than 80 percent of the global soybean market. The HB4 trait has already been approved in the U.S., Argentina and Brazil, with regulatory submissions currently under consideration by China, among other relevant production and consumption territories. Import approval from China is needed for commercial launch in Argentina, and is now expected in late 2020.

08:11 EST Amarin soars after FDA posts briefing docs ahead of Nov. 14 panel - Shares of Amarin are jumping after the FDA posted its briefing documents for the panel meeting on Vascepa's label expansion to be held on November 14. Shares of Amarin are up 13%, or $2.24, to $19.15 in premarket trading.

08:09 EST Amarin soars after FDA posts briefings docs ahead of Nov. 14 panel - Shares of Amarin are jumping after the FDA posted its briefing documents for the panel meeting on Vascepa's label expansion to be held on November 14. Shares of Amarin are up 13%, or $2.24, to $19.15 in premarket trading.

08:08 EST Moleculin Biotech receives FDA approval for IND of WP1066 - Moleculin Biotech announced that the FDA has approved a request for Investigational New Drug, IND, status for its drug candidate WP1066 to be used in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of children with recurrent or refractory malignant brain tumors. The request was made by physician researchers at Emory University, including Dr. Tobey MacDonald, Professor of the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, Director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Principle Investigator for this clinical trial. The trial will be conducted at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

08:06 EST Amarin jumps 7% to $18.13 after FDA post briefing docs ahead of panel

08:06 EST CBS, Viacom merger expected to close in early December - On August 13, CBS (CBS) and Viacom (VIA, VIAB) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended as of October 16, pursuant to which CBS and Viacom agreed to combine their respective businesses. This agreement provides that Viacom will merge with and into CBS, with CBS continuing as the surviving company. Upon the completion of the merger, the name of the combined company will be changed to ViacomCBS Inc. On October 25, the U.S. SEC declared effective the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by CBS in connection with the pending merger. On October 28, the merger and the related proposals were approved by National Amusements, Inc. and its affiliate, which satisfies the closing conditions to the merger requiring approval of a majority of the CBS Class A shares and a majority of the Viacom Class A shares. The merger is expected to close by early December 2019, subject to other customary closing conditions. In addition, at closing, CBS will delist its Class A and Class B common stock from the NYSE and will list the ViacomCBS Class A and Class B common stock, including the outstanding shares of CBS Class A and Class B common stock (which will remain outstanding shares of ViacomCBS), on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the new ticker symbols "VIACA" and "VIAC," respectively.

08:04 EST Rubius Therapeutics appoints Maiken Keson-Brookes as CLO - Rubius Therapeutics announced the appointment of Maiken Keson-Brookes as chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Ms. Keson-Brookes most recently served as general counsel at Synlogic (SYBXX).

08:03 EST CBS Acting CEO says 'we delivered record third-quarter revenues' - "We delivered record third-quarter revenues as we continue to increase our investment in our premium content and direct-to-consumer streaming services, which is the cornerstone of our growth strategy," said Joe Ianniello, President and Acting CEO, CBS Corporation. "During the quarter, our direct-to-consumer revenue from CBS All Access and Showtime OTT grew 39% from last year, driven by a strong slate of original programming. Meanwhile, retrans, reverse comp and virtual MVPD revenues grew 18%, and our total affiliate and subscription fees grew 12%, representing more than a third of our overall revenue in Q3. Our content licensing revenue is also growing as we ramp up production of programming for all of our platforms, including five new hit shows that we just launched on the biggest platform in media, the CBS Television Network, which is on track to end the season as the most-watched network for the 12th consecutive year. Our base business also remains strong, with solid underlying network advertising growth of 2% during the quarter. In addition, here in the fourth quarter we have a terrific programming schedule at Showtime, including returning favorites Shameless and Ray Donovan, along with a number of exciting new series, such as The L Word: Generation Q. So we are building great momentum as we near our merger with Viacom and head into 2020."

07:56 EST Neovasc says Reducer therapy exceeds 200th patient milestone in Germany - Neovasc announced that a new milestone has been reached in Germany with the 200th patient implant of the Neovasc Reducer.

07:52 EST Emerald Health Therapeutics receives organic certification for greenhouse - Emerald Health Therapeutics has received organic certification for cannabis production at its Metro Vancouver operation in British Columbia, which encompasses 156,000 square feet in two greenhouses as well as 12 acres of licensed outdoor cultivation area. Certification was provided by Pro-Cert, which is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to provide third party certification to the Canada Organic Regime and its equivalency arrangements. COR certification is required to produce, process, package or label a product with an organic claim and place it for sale in Canada. Full planting in the recently licensed first of two 78,000 square foot greenhouses is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. The facility was built with technological advancements and operational efficiencies to reduce environmental impact and incorporate sustainable principals such as recycling of water and living soils. Plastic consumption and carbon footprint from transportation of materials is greatly reduced by recycling organic soils over many years. Organic cannabis production does not allow for the use of pesticides.

07:49 EST Kezar Life Sciences announces results from Phase 1b portion of MISSON study - Kezar Life Sciences announced positive updated results from the Phase 1b portion of the MISSON study evaluating the safety and tolerability of KZR-616 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The results are being presented during the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. The primary objective of the Ph1b portion of MISSION is to assess safety and tolerability. Secondary objectives include evaluating pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and selecting dose levels for the Phase 2 trials. Several exploratory efficacy measures are also being assessed: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000, Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Severity Index-Activity, Tender and Swollen Joint Counts, and Physician Global Assessment/Patient Global Assessment/Patient Assessment of Pain. As of the September 20, 2019 data cutoff, the Ph1b portion of MISSION enrolled 32 SLE patients across four separate cohorts. All patients received stable background treatment. Updated data suggest KZR-616 continues to show a differentiated safety profile from non-specific proteasome inhibitors and, importantly, that a dose of 60 mg is well-tolerated when administered via step-up dosing. Additionally, KZR-616 appears to exhibit broad immunomodulatory activity and has the potential for limited immunosuppressive side effects. The updated results are detailed below:Step-up dosing exhibits improved tolerability. Nausea and vomiting were reported in less than20% of patients following step-up dosing vs. 100% of patients receiving an initial dose of 60 mg. Discontinuation rates declined substantially, from 38% to 20%, for patients receiving step-up dosing. Patients receiving KZR-616 largely avoided toxicities associated with approved non-specific proteasome inhibitors. No cases of peripheral neuropathy. No prolonged constitutional adverse events, such as fatigue and myalgia. No laboratory abnormalities lasted longer than seven days, and only one hematologic event was noted during the period. The incidence of serious and overall infections was low. One additional SAE was reported during the study period; the patient resumed dosing and completed treatment. Consistent PK and PD was seen across all dose levels, with target levels of immunoproteasome inhibition achieved at each dose level. Broad and consistent improvements were seen across multiple measures and assessments of disease activity. Of 16 patients completing 13 weeks of treatment: SLEDAI-2K: 75% had a decrease greater than or equal to2 points. CLASI-A: 67% with CLASI-A greater than or equal to4 at BL had a decrease greater than or equal to4 points. TJC/SJC: 56% had greater than or equal to50% improvement on either TJC or SJC. PhGA/PtGA/PtP: 50%, 75%, and 69% had a greater than or equal to10-point reduction, respectively. Based on these results, the Phase 2 portion of MISSION will evaluate doses of 30, 45 and 60mg in patients with lupus nephritis. Additionally, 30 and 45 mg doses are being evaluated in Phase 2 studies in patients with dermatomyositis/polymyositis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia/immune thrombocytopenia. In addition to the Ph1b update from MISSION, Kezar presented three other posters on KZR-616 at the conference. First, biomarker analyses of patients treated with KZR-616 demonstrated a reduction in inflammatory gene signatures and an increase in genes involved in red blood cell production. Second, positive results were presented from a Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers evaluating a simplified lyophilized formulation of KZR-616. Finally, preclinical data in a mouse model of LN showed decreased expression of several inflammatory and kidney tissue damage gene signatures and a similarity of the anti-inflammatory effects of KZR-616 in the mouse model and in treated patients.

07:45 EST Diplomat Pharmacy says 'substantial doubt' about continuing as going concern - The company said, "As of September 30, 2019, we had $8.4 million in cash and equivalents, $105 million in borrowings under our revolving line of credit, $456 million outstanding under our term loans, and $95 million of available borrowing capacity under our revolving line of credit. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, we generated $108 million of cash from operations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we believe that we may not be able to meet the total net leverage and interest coverage ratio covenants in our credit agreement for the period ending December 31, 2019, which violation would give the lenders the right to terminate funding of our revolving line of credit, accelerate our debt (including amounts under our term loans), or foreclose on our assets, if our mitigating plans are not executed prior to December 31, 2019. The Company intends to alleviate any potential violation of such financial covenants through the execution of potential strategic alternatives, as discussed above. In addition, the Company intends to actively work with its lenders to renegotiate its covenants or amend its credit agreement. However, our mitigation plans are reliant on third parties and beyond our control, and therefore accounting rules do not permit us to conclude that it is probable that any of these alternatives will be effectively implemented prior to any such covenant violation. Accordingly, the notes to our consolidated financial statements presented in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 will include management's assessment that expresses substantial doubt surrounding our ability to continue as a going concern."

07:41 EST Valaris announces agreement with Luminus Management - Over the past several months, Valaris has been engaged in discussions with representatives of Luminus Management regarding, among other things, Luminus' views on return of capital and Board composition. In connection with such discussions, on September 5, the company and Luminus entered into an agreement whereby the company and Luminus each agreed to certain restrictions on their activities while the parties worked to negotiate a longer term settlement agreement. The parties were unable to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement and the restrictions under the Agreement expired on November 11, subject to certain agreed upon restrictions which survive for an additional 15 business days. While the parties were unable to reach a formal agreement, the Board and executive team remain committed to engaging with shareholders to identify and execute on opportunities to drive value. The company looks forward to continued constructive dialogue with Luminus and its broader shareholder base.

07:36 EST Alliance Data unit signs multi-year agreement with Sony Rewards - Alliance Data Systems (ADS) announced its card services business, a premier provider of branded private label, co-brand and commercial card programs, has signed a multi-year agreement with Sony Rewards, a division of Sony (SNE), to provide turnkey co-brand credit card services for the Sony and PlayStation Credit Cards.

07:35 EST Verso names Adam St. John as CEO - Verso announced that Adam St. John had been named as the company's CEO and appointed as a member of the Board. St. John has been Senior Vice President of Manufacturing for all Verso mills and a long-standing member of the Senior Leadership Team. Prior to joining the company, Mr. St. John served in a senior management capacity at Georgia Pacific. Lederer will continue to serve as a Senior Transaction Advisor to the company.

07:33 EST Avadel Pharmaceuticals expects cash to be sufficient 'well into' 2021 - Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $72.5 million as of September 30, 2019, compared to $79.3 million as of June 30, 2019 and $99.9 million as of December 31, 2018. Based on Avadel's current FT218 clinical development plan, anticipated cost structure improvements and hospital products revenue projections, the Company expects its cash to be sufficient to fund operations well into 2021. The Company believes that the commercial launch of AV001, pending regulatory approval, could further fund operations and support the development of FT218. The Company has convertible debt of $144 million due in 2023.

07:29 EST Editas Medicine, Celgene amend collaboration for T Cell medicines - Editas Medicine, Inc. (EDIT) announced an amended collaboration with Celgene Corporation (CELG) under which the parties may research, develop, and commercialize autologous and allogeneic alpha-beta T cell medicines for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Under the terms of the amended agreement, Editas Medicine will receive a payment of $70M. Under the terms of the amended agreement, Editas Medicine may develop genome editing tools and Celgene will have rights to opt-in to such genome editing tools for development of gene edited alpha-beta T cell therapies. For each new experimental medicine that Celgene develops and commercializes using opted-into genome editing tools, Celgene will pay Editas Medicine potential future milestone and royalty payments. Editas Medicine and Juno Therapeutics originally entered into a strategic research collaboration in 2015 focused on creating chimeric antigen receptor T and high-affinity T cell receptor cell therapies to treat cancer. The exclusive research period under the original collaboration was set to expire in 2020. This newly amended agreement replaces the original agreement and allows Editas to develop non-alpha-beta T cell therapies, while expanding Celgene's access to gene-edited alpha-beta T cells beyond oncology.

07:25 EST USA Technologies appoints interim CEO Donald Layden as executive chairman - USA Technologies announced that the USAT board has appointed Donald Layden, board member and interim CEO, as executive chairman of the board. His appointment follows Albin Moschner's retirement as board chair and as a member of the board effective November 8. In connection with this appointment, current board member William Schoch has been appointed as the lead independent director of the board.

07:21 EST Forty Seven expects cash, cash equivalents to fund requirements through 1Q21 - As of September 30, 2019, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $166.7 million, as compared to $139.0 million as of December 31, 2018. This increase reflects aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $86.3 million from Forty Seven's underwritten public offering of common stock that closed in July 2019, as well as an approximately $15.7 million upfront license payment from Forty Seven's entry into its collaboration with Ono Pharmaceutical. The company expects that its cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements through the first quarter of 2021.

07:19 EST Ocular Therapeutix reports Q3 EPS (40c), consensus (47c) - Reports Q3 revenue $829,000, consensus $580,000. "We have had very productive quarter," said Antony Mattessich, President and CEO. "As we had hoped, the first phase of our DEXTENZA launch has given us the confidence to expand our field presence by 50%. Now, with a good understanding of the time and effort it takes to remove the obstacles at the ambulatory surgical centers and Hospital Outpatient Departments, and a J-code in place as of October 1st, we are set to capitalize on our expanded reach. Additionally, we have recently restructured operations in a way that allows us to complete key clinical programs while extending our runway. Overall we are in great shape to deliver in the future."

07:17 EST Oramed announces results from Phase IIb trial evaluating ORMD-0801 - Oramed Pharmaceuticals announced positive results from the initial cohort of the Phase IIb trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of its lead oral insulin candidate, ORMD-0801, which has the potential to be the first commercial oral insulin capsule for the treatment of diabetes. The placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized, 90-day dose-ranging phase IIb trial in type 2 diabetes patients with inadequate glycemic control on oral antihyperglycemic agents, assessed the change in A1C, the primary efficacy endpoint, from baseline to week 12, as well as safety endpoints, when ORMD-0801 was given in different regimens across a dose range. The company said, "These results further demonstrate that ORMD-0801 is a safe and efficacious insulin treatment for improving disease management for the millions of people living with diabetes. As a next step, we look forward to the read-out of data from a second cohort of the trial in the first quarter of 2020 and further discussions with the U.S. FDA about Phase III trials. We are enthusiastic about ORMD-0801's potential as we transition into the final stages of development."

07:13 EST Neon Therapeutics expects cash to fund requirements into June 2020 - As of September 30, 2019, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $44.3 million, as compared to cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $103.3 million as of December 31, 2018. Based on its current operating plan, Neon expects that its existing cash and cash equivalents will enable the Company to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into June 2020.

07:11 EST Alkermes receives $150M milestone payment from Biogen after approval of Vumerity - Alkermes (ALKS) announced the receipt of a $150M milestone payment from Biogen triggered by the recent FDA approval of VUMERITY a novel oral fumarate with a distinct chemical structure, for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, and Alkermes' transfer to Biogen (BIIB) of the New Drug Application and other regulatory documentation related to VUMERITY.

07:10 EST Bluebird Bio, Forty Seven enter research collaboration for antibody conditioning - Bluebird Bio (BLUE) and Forty Seven (FTSV) announced that they have entered into a research collaboration to pursue clinical proof-of-concept for Forty Seven's novel antibody-based conditioning regimen, FSI-174 plus magrolimab, with bluebird's ex vivo lentiviral vector hematopoietic stem cell, or LVV HSC, gene therapy platform. This collaboration will focus on a conditioning approach aimed to deliver reduced toxicity and will initially target diseases that have the potential to be corrected with transplantation of autologous gene-modified blood-forming stem cells. If successful, the new conditioning regimen could allow for more patients to undergo gene therapy. Under the terms of the agreement, Bluebird bio will provide its ex vivo LVV HSC gene therapy platform and Forty Seven will contribute its antibody-based conditioning regimen for the collaboration.

07:07 EST Evogene subsidiary and Biomica announces results from BMC121 & BMC127 studies - Biomica, and a subsidiary of Evogene, announced positive preliminary results from recently completed animal studies in its immuno-oncology program, wherein anti-tumor activity was tested in mice following treatment with Biomica's rationally designed bacterial consortia BMC121 & BMC127. It has been widely described in the scientific literature that gut microbiome could affect the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, especially immune-checkpoint inhibitors involving blockade of PD-1 or PD-L1 and CTLA-4. The study, which is part of Biomica's immuno-oncology program, examined the effect of addition of Biomica's rationally designed bacterial consortia BMC121 & BMC127 on the response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy in a mouse cancer model. BMC121 & BMC127 bacterial consortia were identified & designed based on data obtained from cancer patients who displayed varying degrees of response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors therapy. In the study, Biomica's drug candidates were tested in vivo in combination with checkpoint inhibitor therapy using a mouse cancer model. BMC121 and BMC127 demonstrated improved anti-tumor activity compared to checkpoint inhibitor therapy alone also indicating validation of the computational predictions. Improved antitumor activity following the administration of BMC121 & BMC127, compared to treatment with checkpoint inhibitor therapy alone, was manifested in a number of parameters.

07:06 EST JetBlue reports October traffic up 6.2% - JetBlue reported its preliminary traffic results for October. Traffic in October increased 6.2% from October 2018, on a capacity increase of 6.7%. Load factor for October was 82.5%, a decrease of 0.4 points from October 2018. JetBlue's preliminary completion factor for October was 99.6% and its on-time performance was 80.7%. JetBlue continues to expect Q4 revenue per available seat mile, or RASM to be down 0.5%-3.5%.

07:03 EST TCR2 Therapeutics expects interim update on TC-210 Phase 1/2 trial in 1H20 - TCR2 anticipates an interim update of the upcoming Phase 1 portion of the TC-110 Phase 1/2 clinical trial for patients with CD19+ non-Hodgkin lymphoma or adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2H20. TCR2 remains on track to be operational at its manufacturing facility in Stevenage, UK, by year end.

07:02 EST Tupperware Brands names Chris O'Leary as Interim CEO - Tupperware Brands announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Christopher O'Leary, an independent director of Tupperware, as Interim CEO, effective immediately. This appointment follows Tricia Stitzel's decision to step down as Chairman and CEO of Tupperware, and as a director of the company. Susan Cameron, Lead Director of the Board, was named Non-Executive Chairman. Tupperware's Board has commenced a search for a permanent CEO, and has engaged Heidrick & Struggles, a leading executive search firm, to identify and evaluate qualified candidates.

06:58 EST Aecom backs FY20 adjusted EBITDA view $1.04B-$1.08B

06:52 EST Horizon Global names Matthew Pollick as COO - Horizon Global announced that the company's Board of Directors appointed Matthew Pollick as COO. Prior to joining Horizon Global, Pollick served as Executive Vice President of Industrial Management for Gestamp North America, a company dedicated to the design, development and manufacture of metal automotive components, from September 2016 to November 2019.

06:51 EST Vivint Solar launches solar, battery storage PPA in California - Vivint Solar is now launching a new power purchase agreement, or PPA, option that includes one simple rate for both solar and battery storage in California. Vivint Solar offers multiple options for homeowners to benefit from solar energy, including loans which facilitate direct ownership of solar systems, and PPAs or leases which allow homeowners to benefit from solar without owning it themselves. PPAs are contracts in which a solar company, like Vivint Solar, arranges for the design, permitting, financing and installation of a solar energy system, and in exchange, the homeowner agrees to purchase the solar energy the system produces. This option allows homeowners to benefit from powering their home with solar energy, with the convenience of having Vivint Solar finance the system, own it, operate, and maintain it on behalf of the homeowner. In California, when homeowners choose the PPA option, they can now include a battery along with their solar panels. A solar battery stores a homeowner's excess solar energy for times when it's needed most and can detect a blackout within seconds to restore a homeowner's power to critical loads. These features can be economically beneficial and convenient, especially during times when homeowners are experiencing power outages, like those recently experienced in parts of California, or during peak demand hours when utility rates are highest.

06:48 EST Waddell & Reed reports preliminary AUM $68.9B as of October 31 - Compared to $68.8B on September 30.

06:47 EST Pfizer says Phase 3 study of XELJANZ met primary endpoint - Pfizer announced that positive results from a Phase 3 investigational study of tofacitinib in children and adolescents aged two to less than 18 with juvenile idiopathic arthritis will be presented for the first time during a late-breaking oral presentation at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Professionals Annual Meeting. The study of tofacitinib in JIA is investigative and JIA is not an FDA-approved indication for XELJANZ. Pfizer has plans to file for the indication in 2020. The JIA study is a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled withdrawal study that included 225 patients with polyarticular course JIA, psoriatic arthritis or enthesitis related arthritis. The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib taken as either a 5 mg tablet or as a 1 mg/mL oral solution twice daily based on the subject's body weight. The trial met its primary endpoint showing that in patients with polyarticular JIA, the occurrence of disease flare in patients treated with tofacitinib was significantly lower than patients treated with placebo at week 44. In this study, disease flare was defined as a 30% or more worsening in at least three of the six variables of the JIA core set. The most common adverse events in this study of any treatment group were upper respiratory tract infection, headache, nasopharyngitis, nausea, pyrexia, disease progression, vomiting and JIA. There were no cases of death, major adverse cardiovascular events, malignancies, thrombosis, opportunistic infection or tuberculosis. There were two patients with herpes zoster and four patients with serious infections in the tofacitinib treatment arm throughout the course of the study.

06:41 EST Fluor poised to deliver Esso Fawley Strategy Project in UK for Exxon Mobil - Fluor (FLR) announced that construction planning is now set to proceed for the Fawley Strategy Project. ExxonMobil's (XOM) UK affiliate, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, has received planning permission from the New Forest District Council for the new plant that will be located at the Fawley refinery and petrochemical site near Southampton, England. Following the successful completion of the front-end engineering design, Fluor is providing engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction on a reimbursable basis for the FAST project. Fluor's scope of work includes design and construction of a new diesel hydrotreater and steam methane reforming hydrogen plant accompanied by modifications to existing facilities at the Fawley site. Engineering and procurement is under way led by Fluor's Farnborough office in the U.K., and construction is due to start later this year.

06:35 EST Acorn International to sell Zhuhai Acorn for $1.45M in cash - Acorn International announced that on November 8, the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, China DRTV, entered into an equity transfer agreement to sell 100% of the equity interests in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zhuhai Acorn Electronic Technology (Zhuhai Acorn), to an unrelated third-party for a purchase price of $1.45M in cash. Zhuhai Acorn is engaged in producing and selling Youngleda oxygen-generating products mainly through an offline distribution network in China comprising 21 distributors and reaching approximately 600 retail outlets across China. The transaction is subject to certain specific closing conditions, includes a working capital adjustment and other adjustments, and is expected to close in early 2020 or earlier.

06:32 EST D.R. Horton raises quarterly dividend 17% to 17.5c per share - The dividend is payable on December 11 to stockholders of record on November 27.

06:07 EST UBS fined by Hong Kong regulator for overcharging clients - Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission has reprimanded and fined UBS AG HK$400M for overcharging its clients over a ten-year period and for related serious systemic internal control failures. UBS has also undertaken to compensate the affected clients by repaying them the full value of the overcharged amount together with interest. The total repayment amount is approximately HK$200 million and covers overcharges made through post-trade spread increases and charges in excess of standard disclosures or rates between 2008 and 2017. The overcharge practices affected about 5,000 Hong Kong-managed client accounts in about 28,700 transactions. The SFC considers that UBS not only failed to observe the fundamental and overarching duty to act in its clients' best interests but also abused the trust of unsuspecting clients by failing to disclose conflicts of interest and overcharging them in opaque trades.

06:05 EST KBR ROSE technology selected for modernization project at India refinery - KBR announced that its market-leading ROSE solvent de-asphalting, or SDA, process will be integrated with LC-MAX technology, an advanced, patented, ebullated-bed residue upgrading process from Chevron Lummus Global, or CLG, to assist Hindustan Petroleum Corporation's modernization at the Visakh refinery residue upgrading project in India. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide CLG the technology licensing, basic engineering design and proprietary equipment for the ROSE SDA portion of the LC-MAX unit. ROSE is a cost-effective residue upgrading process that allows refiners to upgrade a larger proportion of their low-value residue streams into high-value products and gives clients the flexibility to respond to market developments in fuel, lube and petrochemical applications as well as reduce the environmental footprint of their products.

06:02 EST National Health Investors names John Spaid as CFO, effective November 8 - National Health Investors announced that its Board of Directors has appointed John Spaid, its current Executive VP of Finance, as CFO, effective November 8. Spaid joined NHI in March 2016 with over 30 years of experience in private equity, real estate, finance and senior housing. From November 2015 until joining NHI, Spaid provided consulting services to NHI including acquisition underwriting analyses and Board presentations. Previously, Spaid was with Emeritus Senior Living as their Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis.